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Montrose man arrested for infant’s death

A 23-year-old Montrose man has been arrested in the death of a 14-month-old girl Saturday in Montrose.

The Montrose Police Department this morning said Daniel Lee Ryan, 600 N. Cascade, was booked into the Montrose County Jail for suspicion of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in the death of Hailey L. Rocha.

Rocha was pronounced dead Saturday night at Montrose Memorial Hospital after the infant was rushed there by emergency crews responding to a medical call at a restaurant in the 2000 block of South Townsend. A 911 caller had reported an infant was unresponsive and CPR was being performed on the child, Montrose Police Cmdr. Gene Lillard said.

Lillard said the infant’s mother works at the restaurant. Ryan is mother’s boyfriend but is not the child’s father, Lillard said.

Authorities allege Ryan brought Rocha to the restaurant Saturday night and the infant was in his care when she suffered her fatal injuries. The Montrose County Coroner’s Office today said in a news release Rocha died from blunt-force trauma and suffered “multiple traumatic injuries.”